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Charlene Low

Sardines Dance Collective

Creative Mission

Charlene specialises in delivering high quality integrated contemporary dance. She runs a company called Sardines Dance Collective, based at Newham Sixth Form College, which is a collective of exceptional integrated contemporary dance artists who:

Create high level integrated performance work

Provide high quality education & community programmes & projects

Employ local artists

Inspire the community through professional dance

It is their mission to strengthen the world of inclusive dance by giving participants the freedom to move and think expressively within a safe environment alongside experienced dance artists, thus unlocking each individual’s true potential through dance.

About

Born in Penang, Malaysia, Charlene moved to London at age five where she discovered she had congenital scoliosis, with fused lower lumbar vertebrae. She fell in love with dance whilst at the same time training in Shaolin Kung Fu. She went on to train at TrinityLaban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and worked at Newham Sixth Form College, specialising in integration in performing arts.

Charlene runs her own projects teaching, performing and choreographing people with learning difficulties and disabled participants of various ages from 2-95yrs. In 2011 Charlene launched Moving Asia – a series of small integrated dance projects across Asia aiming to strengthen the disability dance community.

In 2013 Charlene became a Board Member of the contemporary arm of the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association (UK). Charlene teaches regularly for East London Dance and other companies including Royal Academy of Dance and Entelechy Arts.

Future Plans

Sardines Dance Collective are looking to develop and grow into an education, community and performance company that offers employment and opportunities to local communities, nationally and internationally.

Education work

Charlene teaches regularly across London and Sardines Dance Collective can also provide projects and workshops.

Current Projects

Complete Connections Youth Dance

A youth dance group run by Sardines Dance Collective, which grew from two intensive projects with students in 2009 & 2010. The intensives aimed to raise awareness of integrated dance and build confidence in those who have never danced before.

The group have been training in technique, stamina, choreography and physical contact work which has led them to take to the streets performing acro-balance and soca moves at the Newham Carnival, the Liberty Festival, and merging with East London Dance’s inclusive dance group ‘Get Up And Groove’ to work with Random Dance to perform alongside 1000’s at Trafalgar Square part of Big Dance 2012.